More than 90 per cent of Ballarat residents over the age of 15 are now fully vaccinated, according to the latest federal government statistics.
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As of Sunday, 91.3 per cent of Ballarat aged 15 years or older have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine while more than 95 per cent have received at least one dose.
This is an increase of 4.7 percentage points over last week's mark of 86.6 per cent and sees Ballarat clear the all important 90 per cent barrier which will see greater easing of restrictions across Victoria when the state reaches that target later this month.
However, it is also a slight deceleration on the prior week which saw a 7.6 point jump from 79 per cent to 86.6 per cent.
If Ballarat residents continue to get vaccinated at the same rate, the city is on track to clear the 95 per cent mark by the end of the week.
In just two months, Ballarat's vaccination rate has skyrocketed, with almost half of the city's adult population receiving their second dose of a COVID vaccine, up from 44.1 per cent fully vaccinated as of September 5, a jump of 47.2 percentage points.
Ballarat remains neck-and-neck with its regional counterparts in the vaccination race, with Greater Bendigo now at 90.1 per cent fully vaccinated and Greater Geelong at 92.6 per cent.
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Closer to home, Hepburn Shire is at 90.8 per cent and Moorabool Shire is at 91.6 per cent while Pyrenees Shire is lagging behind slightly at 88.2 per cent.
However, each of the listed council areas, along with most of regional Victoria, is far and away ahead of the statewide vaccination rate which currently sits at 84.4 fully vaccinated and 92.3 per cent first dose.
They are also well ahead of the national rate of 80.5 per cent fully vaccinated and 89.3 per cent first dose.
Committee for Ballarat chief executive Michael Poulton said reaching the 90 per cent mark was a great achievement for the city.
"I think that's been a target that many around the world have aspired to and for us to get there in Ballarat, and be very much on track for that for Victoria, is just an outstanding result," he said.
"A slow start, but I think people have really recognised their responsibility to the community, and have gone out and in droves to get vaccinated."
Mr Poulton said the next challenge for Ballarat was continuing the momentum into the booster shots, but also getting the city's younger residents vaccinated.
"We do know that you could have a double vaccination but still contract COVID, you'd get sick, but you wouldn't finish up in hospital. A third dose really is a mild case of the cough and the sniffles," he said.
"I'd argue that the first and second dose was about protecting the community and the third dose is now about protecting yourself.
"If you have two or three kids in a school who get COVID, they're not going to get terribly sick but it does close that school down and it isolates the number of people, including teachers, and confines kids back to homeschooling."
Ballarat mayor Daniel Moloney said the city was in an elite category of cities in Victoria and around the world to reach that 90 per cent mark.
"We've done such an incredible job to be a city leading the state to get to this double vaccination rate," he said.
"We'll be at a point now where, in theory, there should be no reason to lockdown any place again that has achieved those type of rates and I think that's the sort of thing which gives us all some confidence heading into summer and the new year.
"Just as we've managed to successfully work together to get to this double vaccinated rate, in the new year, we'll also have to have that determination to get the third and hopefully final jab as well."
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